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10 Must Know Tips for Elderly Care

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Caring for an elderly parent is often a challenge. While we want to demonstrate our love and support for aging parents, there are aspects of caregiving that can cause stress.

My friends at Reviews Bee offer the following tips for addressing this issue:

Plan (Sooner rather than later)

Talk with Parents about their wishes while they are still healthy. Be informed of their expectations. Once your parents become seriously ill, it will be much more difficult to talk with them about this. Follow the Scout’s motto- Be Prepared.

Push the Help Button

It can be less stressful if you have help. If you feel that you simply can’t cope, you should use professional home care services. You should also consider installing medical alert systems in your home.

Plan your finances

Finances are often a delicate subject. However, discussing finances with aging parents while they are healthy is essential. A working knowledge of how much money you will have available for extra care is important.

Cut down your costs

You can save money if you to buy medical devices through proven and reputable online vendors. Always make sure to stick to your planned budget.

Cope with stress

Yes, it is quite stressful to see your parent struggling to perform simple everyday tasks. Find ways to relax. Otherwise, your own health can be impacted.

Consider whether it is a good idea to quit your job in order to take care for a parent

Check whether your employer has some flex-time or family leave ideas. Maybe there is a way to keep your job and provide your parents with elderly care at home. Will the loss of benefits impact your own finances?

Create a caregiving budget

Before considering whether to leave your job, have a look at what you are actually spending on caregiving and how you finance this expense.

Get informed about free or low-cost benefits

There are websites available providing information about getting help with caregiving and public benefits you might be able to access.

Understand the costs of parents remaining in their home

Understand the costs you might incur should your parents choose to remain in their own homes.

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Comments

This is such a good overview list! I would add to the “planning” section to encourage parents (and do this yourself) to seek help with small tasks as they grow older, before they really NEED help. This practice softens our bias against ever having help, and it strengthens our ability to actually ASK for help. So much of the hardship of caregiving is the denial among older adults that they are actually aging and needs are changing.